Super Rail Band Of The BuffetHotel Del La Gare De Bamako, Mali
From the album "Rail Band" (1973).
The legendary band that has been an institution in Mali since the late 1960s, Super Rail Band, mixed traditional African instruments with electric guitars, led by the mesmerizing presence of singer and guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. The Super Rail Band was born out of a Malian government subsidy in the 1950s for local groups to integrate indigenous folk traditions into their music, including Mandingo jeli songs and hunting songs, which the band mixed in with Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, electric guitars and trap drums. For years, the band anchored a lively international scene at the dance bar operated by the Mali RailCompany at the railway station in Bamako, Mali's capital.
The Super Rail Band served as an important launching pad for the careers of numerous West African musicians, including kora player and singer Mory Kante, guitarist Kante Manfila and Mory Kante and Salif Keita.

Rail Band

The Rail Band, formed in 1970, is one of the most popular groups in the history of Malian music; it was later known as Super Rail Band, Bamako Rail Band or, most comprehensively and formally, Super Rail Band of the Buffet Hotel de la Gare, Bamako. Its fame was built upon the mid-20th century craze for Latin — especially Cuban — jazz music which came out of Congo in the 1940s. The Rail Band was one of the first West African acts to combine this mature Afro-Latin sound with traditional instruments and styles. In their case, this was built upon the MandeGriot praise singer tradition, along with Bambara and other Malian and Guinean musical traditions. Their distinctive sound came from combining electric guitar and jazz horns with soaring Mandinka and Bamabara lyrical lines, African and western drums, and local instruments such as the kora and the Balafon. At their height of fame in the 1970s, the Rail Band played to sold out venues and even stadia across West Africa, and launched solo careers for many of its members, including the legendary vocalist Salif Keita.

January 3 – MGM's 1951 Show Boat is presented on television by NBC for the first time. This marks the first complete network telecast of any version of Show Boat (it had already been filmed as a part-talkie in 1929, and as a full-sound musical in 1936).

Mory Kanté

Mory Kanté (born 29 March 1950) is a Guinean vocalist and player of the kora harp. He is best known internationally for his 1987 hit song "Yé ké yé ké", which reached number-one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Career

He was born into one of Guinea's best known families of griot (hereditary) musicians. After being brought up in the Mandinka griot tradition in Guinea, he was sent to Mali at the age of seven years – where he learned to play the kora, as well as important voice traditions, some of which are necessary to become a griot.

In 1971 Kanté became a member of the Rail Band, in which Salif Keïta was a singer. Keïta left the band in 1973, leaving Kanté as the singer.

In 1987, he released the song "Yé ké yé ké", which was one of Africa's best-ever selling hits as well as being a European number-one in 1988, making it the first ever African single to sell over one million copies.

Three songs from Akwaba Beach (1987) were referenced in three blockbuster songs in Hindi films. Yé ké yé ké is played in the background of the 1990 epic Agneepath, when Amitabh Bachchan's character is in Mauritius. Tama, another song from this album inspired Tamma Tamma Loge from the 1990 hit Thanedaar, starring Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit as well as Jumma Chumma De De from the 1991 Bachchan magnum opus Hum. Another song from this album Inch Allah inspired the opening lines of the title track of Hum.

"Bajala Male", Rail Band

Super Rail Band Of The BuffetHotel Del La Gare De Bamako, Mali
From the album "Rail Band" (1973).
The legendary band that has been an institution in Mali since the late 1960s, Super Rail Band, mixed traditional African instruments with electric guitars, led by the mesmerizing presence of singer and guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. The Super Rail Band was born out of a Malian government subsidy in the 1950s for local groups to integrate indigenous folk traditions into their music, including Mandingo jeli songs and hunting songs, which the band mixed in with Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, electric guitars and trap drums. For years, the band anchored a lively international scene at the dance bar operated by the Mali RailCompany at the railway station in Bamako, Mali's capital.
The Super Rail Band served as an important launching pad for the careers of numerous West African musicians, including kora player and singer Mory Kante, guitarist Kante Manfila and Mory Kante and Salif Keita.

"Bajala Male", Rail Band

Super Rail Band Of The BuffetHotel Del La Gare De Bamako, Mali
From the album "Rail Band" (1973).
The legendary band that has been an institution in Mali since the late 1960s, Super Rail Band, mixed traditional African instruments with electric guitars, led by the mesmerizing presence of singer and guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. The Super Rail Band was born out of a Malian government subsidy in the 1950s for local groups to integrate indigenous folk traditions into their music, including Mandingo jeli songs and hunting songs, which the band mixed in with Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, electric guitars and trap drums. For years, the band anchored a lively international scene at the dance bar operated by the Mali RailCompany at the railway station in Bamako, Mali's capital.
The Super Rail Ban...

published: 02 Apr 2014

RAIL (US) - Her Majesty (1984)

This is a great track from RAIL's "Adio" Special Edition CD, which includes the entire "Rail" EP and their second LP "Three" from 1984, plus the previously unreleased song "Another Side of Blue" - 14 Tracks in all!
This band was HIGHLY underrated and i strongly suggest to check them out and buy their records!
This is the official RAIL website: www.railonline.net
There is also an official Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/user/railtheband
Wikipedia: Rail is an American rock band that briefly achieved national fame after winning the grand prize of MTV's Basement Tapes competition in 1983. Before starting their recording career the group was well known in the Seattle area under the names "Rail & Company" and "Rail & Co."
The band was formed by drummer Kelly Nobles, bassist/singe...

Super Rail Band Of The BuffetHotel Del La Gare De Bamako, Mali
From the album "Rail Band" (1973).
The legendary band that has been an institution in Mali since the late 1960s, Super Rail Band, mixed traditional African instruments with electric guitars, led by the mesmerizing presence of singer and guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. The Super Rail Band was born out of a Malian government subsidy in the 1950s for local groups to integrate indigenous folk traditions into their music, including Mandingo jeli songs and hunting songs, which the band mixed in with Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, electric guitars and trap drums. For years, the band anchored a lively international scene at the dance bar operated by the Mali RailCompany at the railway station in Bamako, Mali's capital.
The Super Rail Band served as an important launching pad for the careers of numerous West African musicians, including kora player and singer Mory Kante, guitarist Kante Manfila and Mory Kante and Salif Keita.

Super Rail Band Of The BuffetHotel Del La Gare De Bamako, Mali
From the album "Rail Band" (1973).
The legendary band that has been an institution in Mali since the late 1960s, Super Rail Band, mixed traditional African instruments with electric guitars, led by the mesmerizing presence of singer and guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. The Super Rail Band was born out of a Malian government subsidy in the 1950s for local groups to integrate indigenous folk traditions into their music, including Mandingo jeli songs and hunting songs, which the band mixed in with Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, electric guitars and trap drums. For years, the band anchored a lively international scene at the dance bar operated by the Mali RailCompany at the railway station in Bamako, Mali's capital.
The Super Rail Band served as an important launching pad for the careers of numerous West African musicians, including kora player and singer Mory Kante, guitarist Kante Manfila and Mory Kante and Salif Keita.

"Bajala Male", Rail Band

Super Rail Band Of The BuffetHotel Del La Gare De Bamako, Mali
From the album "Rail Band" (1973).
The legendary band that has been an institution in Mali since the late 1960s, Super Rail Band, mixed traditional African instruments with electric guitars, led by the mesmerizing presence of singer and guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. The Super Rail Band was born out of a Malian government subsidy in the 1950s for local groups to integrate indigenous folk traditions into their music, including Mandingo jeli songs and hunting songs, which the band mixed in with Afro-Cuban dance rhythms, electric guitars and trap drums. For years, the band anchored a lively international scene at the dance bar operated by the Mali RailCompany at the railway station in Bamako, Mali's capital.
The Super Rail Band served as an important launching pad for the careers of numerous West African musicians, including kora player and singer Mory Kante, guitarist Kante Manfila and Mory Kante and Salif Keita.

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RAIL (US) - Her Majesty (1984)

This is a great track from RAIL's "Adio" Special Edition CD, which includes the entire "Ra...